The present invention relates generally to cleaning devices and, in particular, to a tool rail cleaning apparatus.
Overhead tool rail systems, which are frequently utilized in manufacturing plants having assembly lines and are typically arranged in parallel with the assembly line, are well known. These overhead tool rail systems are utilized for hanging tools and the like that move along with the product being assembled for the use of the production line workers. The tools include a trolley assembly having wheels attached thereto that extends through an aperture in the tool rail in order for the wheels to cooperate with the tool rail to allow the tool to move along the rails. The wheels are typically constructed of nylon, neoprene, or similar materials. An end cap covers each end of the tool rail and is often used for adding and removing the trolley assemblies of the tools and for preventing the trolley assemblies from rolling off the end of the tool rails. The tool rails are often many feet in length and see prolonged use in the manufacturing plant.
After prolonged use, the tool rails eventually become contaminated with grease, dirt, grime, paint, and the like and must be cleaned in order for the wheels of the trolley assembly to roll smoothly. If the surface of the tool rails is contaminated, the rolling resistance of the nylon wheels on the trolley assembly increases. In prior art overhead rail systems, a common means for cleaning the rail surfaces after prolonged use and debris accumulation was to take down the overhead tool rails, remove all of the end caps and all of the trolley assemblies, and manually scrub the rails by reaching through the aperture in the tool rail. Another common means for cleaning the rail was to blow the debris from the tool rail using compressed air. If the manual scrubbing of the surfaces or the compressed air did not clean the surfaces, the rail would be discarded and replaced with a new rail. Other similar labor intensive and time-consuming maintenance practices were utilized in the prior art to clean the rail surfaces. The difficulty and time-consuming nature of this type of maintenance is the reason it was not often done, which led to many tool rails being replaced. Replacement tool rails are prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, contaminated tool rails often damaged the trolley assembly wheels, which required replacement of not only the tool rail but the trolley assembly as well.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a means for cleaning existing tool rails in order to reduce the operating costs of a production line and to increase the time interval for replacing tool rails. It is also desirable to maximize the ergonomic benefits of the tool and trolley assemblies by reducing the rolling resistance of the trolley assembly wheels on the tool rails.